Times Observer photo by Jessica N. Rex Anne Schwenke, NPRC's community development liaison, is pictured.

This article is part of the “Meet Your Neighbor Monday” series, highlighting the stories of individuals who make Warren County a special place to live. If you have a suggestion for a person to profile, email jrex@timesobserver.com.

Anne Schwenke grew up in Warren County, specifically Pittsfield, who is carving out a career with the Northern Pennsylvania Regional College while also getting involved in several community initiatives.

Schwenke is a graduate of Youngsville High School and comes from a proud Eagles family, with her father having taught there. Schwenke achieved college credits while in high school, from St. Bonaventure. She went on to graduate from high school early, and COVID influenced her to take a gap year before attending college.

She spent that time working heavily with non-profits in the area doing grant writing and community development and fundraising which built her resume early, thanks to the encouragement of her parents. Growing up in a small town Schwenke wanted to explore the world which led her to Pace University in New York City. Living there for three years, she studied institutional development within museums and art history. This niche of a college degree along with a background in which she obtained during her gap year, works well in her new role at the college. This new position is not well known. She started with Northern Pennsylvania Regional College, 300 Second Ave., Warren, as a student recruiter in which her responsibilities included being active in schools by working one on one with students and connecting them to the departments necessary for students through the application process. This then led to her current position as community development liaison.

Schwenke’s contribution to Warren County is impressive and includes her involvement on many boards particularly in local arts organizations; such as Crary Art Gallery and the new Create Community Local Arts Agency. She is enjoying her new role, testing different strategies, developing and implementing community programs that fit the needs of the community and align with the college’s mission, which is to provide affordable and accessible (non-traditional college) education to rural community members in northern Pennsylvania.

The college helps bridge the gap for the college application process in terms of the modern collegiate process; helping students feel comfortable and confident in what students are doing. Her role stretches into neighboring counties and she is constantly in the community asking for the needs and is always welcoming suggestions. Many people get general education credit courses that are transferable to many other PA schools, and so NPRC helps students save money while exploring the college experience. Other courses in the workforce area are also taught at NPRC.

Schwenke offers a variety of community activities such as teaching yoga classes and will be providing a presentation in the Warren Library on Career pathways with businesses in the area geared to help people to set themselves up for success if they are taking the workforce pathway.

Schwenke is part of a beautification project, a collaborative effort with other area organizations, to place a mural at the west end of town. Members of the community have submitted amazing pieces of art and Schwenke adds that the artists will be notified next month about the use of them on the side of the Kinzua Youth Development Center building. This location of the mural enables a view for travelers on Route 6. The project is the start of a series of murals that will be in all small towns across the county.

“Each community needs to feel pride for living in Warren County and that’s something that I think happens when more resources and more education and more community development is brought in,” says Schwenke.

Schwenke said murals bring in people and can help create hometown pride when completed. .